TemperanceTales: I do not own Once Upon a Time in anyway shape or form and I give full credit to the creators. I don't own any fairytales not done in the show either and give credit to respectful owners.
Chapter Twenty Two: Regret and Revenge.
"Long Live the Queen! Long Live the King!"
Clara blushed as the people of their Kingdom cheered joyfully. She wore white with lavender as her Nutcracker was now in his human form. The kingdom had been one, and the Mouse King was forced to dance for all eternity in his dungeon. If it hadn't been for the Mouse being frozen by the Pipers music, Clara wouldn't have been able to get the shoes on him. But all of that was behind them, it was now time for their happily ever after. He grinned at her and said before kissing her deeply, "My darling Clara, do not be timid in what you deserve."
Clara giggled against his lips as people cheered even louder. The Piper rolled his eyes but had a huge smile on his face as he said, "Oh, would you two get a room?"
Clara and the Nutcracker broke apart. Grinning at their friend, all three burst out into laughter. Only to hear their subjects begin to scream. The three looked on as ice began to fill the courtyard. The crowd parted to reveal The Snow Queen, standing in brilliant white. Smirking victoriously, Snow Queen strode forward and said, "Well, well, isn't this a fancy occasion?"
Nutcracker glared at Snow Queen as she strode forward. Clara leaned into him as the Piper came in front of his two friends saying, "What is it you want Snow Queen? This land no longer belongs to you."
"Oh, I beg to disagree," Snow Queen said, her voice still pleasant, "You may have won back your Kingdom, but Antic is MY world. After all I am the Mage."
"What do you want Morgana?" Nutcracker hissed, clutching Clara to him. Snow Queen chuckled and said, "I just want to give a little gift. This little gift is called Revenge."
Piper charge, yanking out his sword. Snow Queen laughed and threw out her arm gracefully. He was flung back, deep shards of ice striking his shoulder. Nutcracker grabbed his sword and went forward as Clara bent down by the Piper saying, "Piper!"
Snow Queen flung around a strong wind knocking everyone back. Clara was trying to blow the wind and snow when she felt something stabbed into her heart. Clara gasped, her eyes filling with tears. Snow Queen looked at her and said, "My Mouse King may have been hot headed, but no one gets away with crossing me."
Nutcracker thrusted out, hitting Snow Queen square in the back. But she burst into snow as evil laughter filled the air as the Snow Queen spoke, "Enjoy my little gift, Nutcracker. Your love will be turned into the best doll there is: a corpse."
"Hey you're up early."
Mary Margaret looked up to see Emma walking down the stairs. She was already dressed in her boots, shirt, jeans, and her favorite leather jacket. Mary Margaret was still in her pajama's, clearly not as ready for the day. Mary Margaret watched as Emma approached her.
"I could say the same about you," Mary Margaret said softly.
"Yeah, I got wind of a situation," Emma said, sighing, "A social worker wants to pay a visit to see Autumn and I have to convince him this morning why it is a bad idea."
"Why would it be a bad idea?" Mary Margaret asked, surprised.
"Because the kid has some bad experiences and him showing up out of the blue will set her off." Emma said, "And trust me, that won't be pretty."
"Poor thing," Mary Margaret said, hanging her head, "She just can't get a break…"
"Hey," Emma said, staring at her seriously, "Don't be like that. What happened with Kathryn is not your fault."
"But what came before was," Mary Margaret said, exasperated, "I had an affair with David that ripped that family apart. If I had just listened to you-!"
"Don't keep beating yourself up about it," Emma said, "You can't change the past. Just pick yourself back up and be truer to yourself."
"Aww," Mary Margaret half joked, "Look who's being optimistic."
"I can be that once and a while," Emma joked, but sobered saying, "I have to get going. I'll see you later."
"Kay," Mary Margaret said, as she watched Emma leave.
S.C.
Autumn was curled up on the bed, wearing an olive-green sweater and skinny jeans. Her brown boots were already laced up Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, her bangs pushed off towards the side. She looked miserable as she stared out on what should have been a nice morning. But it wasn't for her. She had spent the last week feeling the repercussions of her actions. Noises could be heard downstairs, but she wasn't quite ready to face that music yet. Especially since there were other issues at play.
Her watch beeping told her she was out of time.
Sighing, Autumn went to grab her back pack. Henry had returned it to her not that long ago… with a surprise she should have seen coming.
"I know the truth," Henry said, handing her the bag meekly, "I saw it inside the book."
Autumn grabbed the bag with a dead expression. Her eyes were tired and her face a little pale. She stared down at it while Henry stammered, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to help."
"I know," Autumn said, "It doesn't matter anymore."
"It's not fair," Henry said, his voice trembling, "You shouldn't have to be the one to tell him something like that."
"It doesn't matter," Autumn said, "He already hates me."
"But if he knew you were his Granddaughter, he might-!"
"That wouldn't be the same!" Autumn's voice trembled as she continued, "He'd only care because I'm his son's only daughter. That's not love, it's obligation."
Autumn shook her head weakly as she said, "There's no beating this, Henry. What's done is done."
She hated being right so much.
"So how is she?" David asked Kathryn.
Kathryn was washing dishes in the kitchen. David was leaning against the counter, watching the woman near him. She was washing the dishes slower than normal, her body language tired. Shaking her head, Kathryn said softly, "I don't really know… she's been quiet and I've been too afraid to push. Especially after all that I've done."
"Kathryn," David protested, "None of this was your fault. I'm the one that messed this up."
"But I'm the one that left," Kathryn said.
"You left a note-!"
"That wasn't here when either you or Autumn got back!" Kathryn said exasperated.
"That is still not your fault!" David stressed.
The sound of footsteps silenced them. Kathryn turned to see Autumn walking down the stairs and stopped at the door. She looked back at Kathryn, a look of turmoil in her eyes. Kathryn found herself struck mute as the girl looked away, her head hanging. Tears sprung to Kathryn's eyes as Autumn left the house without speaking a word.
"It doesn't matter," Kathryn said, depressed, "I shouldn't have left without explaining things."
David looked at her sadly as Kathryn turned off the water. She looked at him with a sad expression as she said, "I broke her trust… and I have absolutely no idea how to get it back."
S.C.
"You always have to be a magpie, don't you?"
Gold smirked as he heard Belle enter the kitchen. He looked towards her to see her dressed in a button up blue shirt and dark washed skinny jeans. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail, and her blue eyes were staring at him teasingly. Gold turned the eggs in the pan as he said, "I don't know what you mean, dearie."
"You always have so many things in your house and I can almost promise that you don't use half of them," Belle said, coming up beside him. He chuckled as he said, "I have reasons for everything I have."
"Oh really?" Belle said, nose to nose with Gold.
"Really," Gold teased. Belle giggled before closing the distance between their lips. The kiss was sweet and loving, all that he had desperately missed. Pulling away, Gold turned off the stove saying, "Breakfast is ready."
"Mmm," Belle said, moving away to sit at his table. In the middle were a couple apples in a basket, which made her smile fade. Gold came over to the table to put the pan on the neatly folded towel. He looked towards Belle, noticing her changed in demeanor. Walking towards her, he snuck his arm around her waist.
"What's wrong?" Gold asked.
Belle bit her lip a moment before looking at him with pleading eyes.
"I know you feel like she betrayed you," Belle said, "But she didn't do it to be malicious."
"Belle," Gold sighed.
"I mean it. She never treated me coldly or cruelly or anything like that," Belle implored, "She didn't do this to hurt you. She loves you."
"You think I don't know that," Gold said frustrated. He pulled away, turning to support himself on the table. Belle looked at him sympathetically, rubbing his back. Gold stared down at the apples with a troubled expression.
"I created this curse," Gold suddenly said, "All this twisted, magicless town just so I could find my son. Twenty-eight years I had to wait… Emma, the Savior, was supposed to wake me upon her arrival. So I could guide her on breaking it. However, that didn't happen. A little girl with blue eyes and brown hair shattered the curse that kept me asleep. A girl I did not know."
"Autumn," Belle said softly.
"Yes," Gold said, "She's a special little thing. Smart, spirited, and a little too curious for her own good."
Belle smiled warmly but Gold was so lost in his story he did not notice. Instead he continued.
"But as special as she is, she is also secretive and manipulative. I know that makes me sound very hypocritical, but she's still a child and has little idea of what game she's putting herself into. Most of the time it ends up hurting herself and she doesn't seem to care," Gold said, sounding quite pained.
"It sounds like she needs someone to guide her," Belle said softly, "After all, she is just a child and children will test people to see who is going to be resolute. And I know with her, trust doesn't come easy."
Gold looked over at Belle, looking almost amused. He then leaned over whispering, "Well look who's becoming the all-knowing one."
"Well I have to be living with you," Belle jested back before he kissed her softly. Kissing him back, she then broke away whispering, "She loves you, Rumple. I know that much."
"Loved," Gold said, "Loved Belle. She doesn't want to see me. Not after all the cruel things I've said."
Belle looked at him sincerely as she said, "Well even if that's true, saying sorry is always a good place to start."
S.C.
"Sheriff Swan."
Emma looked up from her desk to see a person standing there in a brown suit. Fixing his glasses, he came into her office saying, "My name is Mr. Kern. I'm from the Social Services department."
"Oh." Emma's heart tightened when he said those words. Emma straightened up in the chair said, "Hi. Sorry, I lost track of the time."
"It is quite alright," he said, taking a seat in the seat across from her. Emma gripped her hands as he said, "I don't usually conference with law enforcement before questioning a child."
"I'm aware and I do thank you for being here," Emma said, "This case is different than some others. I just wanted to inform you before you go and potentially scare a child out of her wits."
Mr. Kern raised his brows as he said, "Oh really?"
"Yes," Emma hesitated, pulling out a file, "Autumn Doe has had bad experiences in the foster system."
"Many do," Mr. Kern said, a bit stiffly.
"But the orphanage program that was in charge of her placements was one of the worst. I'm assuming you looked at what I sent you."
"Erkenziers Foster Placement," Mr. Kern said, "An establishment that's been closed down for the past couple years for fraud, neglect, and several other things."
"Right," Emma said, "Here's where things are going to get tricky. Her last foster home before Felicity was one with several other children. They were left alone to take care of one another constantly. When the woman in charge of them was there, she and the social worker in charge of them would treat them far from kindly."
"How unkindly?"
Emma picked up a packet and handed it to him saying, "I have to shred this once you are done. These files were locked up tight, I had to fight just to see them."
Mr. Kern looked through them, his glasses sitting on the tip of his nose. His eye widened as he read and he said, "My word…"
"You see what I mean," Emma said, "If you just show up to question-."
"That's simply out of the question, I'm not interested in causing any sort of trauma," Mr. Kern said with a sigh, "So what would you suggest? The child has been through quite a bit but I still need to insure her safety."
"I understand," Emma said, "Perhaps having someone secretly look into it? It really would be for the best if someone could watch and gather intel from afar."
"I'm not sure, I will have to go back and discuss it with my employer. But I'm sure we can come up with another arrangement."
Emma nodded as Mr. Kern paused. He looked at her with a thoughtful stare as he said, "It is a difficult thing for you I would imagine."
"What?" Emma asked sharply.
"I heard you were from Erkenziers as well," Mr. Kern said, "I can imagine your treatment there was not any better."
Emma narrowed her eyes before asked, "Who told you that?"
Mr. Kern looked troubled as he stammered, "I was told- I'm sorry, Sheriff Swan, I didn't mean to be insensitive. I had been told that you had been there and was to ensure that you weren't trying to interfere because of bias."
Emma's eyes darkened but she didn't take it out on the nervous man before him. All Emma asked was, "Do you think I am?"
"No," Mr. Kern said, "I do believe you are only interested in the well being of the child."
Mr. Kern excused himself, hurrying from the offices. Emma watched after him, the dark look in her eyes remaining. Grabbing her keys, she stood up and grabbed her coat. Someone had told him about that damn place, someone knew. And Emma had a feeling she knew exactly who that was.
S.C.
"Is he mad?"
Autumn was sitting in the park with Danny, who was building a sand castle in the sand box. Autumn nodded, drawing lines in the sand. She stared drawing circles on or in between the lines. Danny tilted his head as he asked, "Are you drawing the dots again?"
"Yes."
"Why you drawing in da sand? You can keep it forever if it's in da book."
"I don't have any newer books right now," Autumn said, sighing, "Darren destroyed them remember?"
"Oh," Danny said, shuttering a bit, "I forgot."
He paused and said, "Maybe your new mommy will get new ones for you?"
"She's not my mom." Autumn's response was automatic. Danny looked at her surprised before saying timidly, "I thought things were bedder."
"They were," Autumn said, "But things change. How are things with Aunt Dinah?"
"It's good. We can do lots of stuff now that he's gone," Danny said, "Maybe you could come live with us? Then we can sleep in the same bed again and the dark will be less scary."
"You don't have to be scared just because I'm not there," Autumn said, "The darkness is just another type of color."
Autumn put the stick down, picking up the basket. Danny looked at her as she kissed his forehead saying, "I've got some fruit to deliver. I'll see you soon."
"How can your apples be ready?" Danny asked surprised as Autumn smiled weakly at him.
"Don't you worry little man," Autumn said ruffling his hair before getting up, "That's my secret to carry."
Autumn walked away from the playground and into town. Storybrooke was in full swing, the lunch hour upon them. She was hopeful that Gold would be out of his shop. She would just creep in and out without being seen. She wouldn't go at all but the apples were ready and she had a deal with him. Regardless of their fight, she still had to keep this one deal. Stopping momentarily outside his shop, she peered into to see if he was there. Luckily for her, he wasn't out front. Quickly opened the door, she winced as she heard the bell ring.
She had never made such a quick drop off in her life. She dashed across the shop, left it at his front desk and dashed back to the door. She opened it, thinking she was all in the clear when she heard him speak.
"Autumn?"
But that didn't stop her, she left as promptly as she could. But the sound of his voice had done its job. Tears threatened to prickle her eyes as she thought about this whole situation. The Master had left her in charge of getting rid of his dark powers. She knew if she couldn't find a peaceful remedy, the other Mages might do something drastic. Or worse, have her end him herself. It seemed far fetched, but there were some Mages that wouldn't mind cornering her into that choice. Sniffling, Autumn wiped her eyes as made her way back to Kathryn's. If she was lucky, no one would be home and she could just go up to her room. Walking through the streets, Autumn made her way to the house where Kathryn stood outside talking to a man in a suit. He was holding a leather planner and a folder. Autumn choked as she noted the social services symbol on the folder.
"Autumn," Kathryn's voice reached her hears but Autumn's blood had run cold. The man turned around, staring at her curiously. If he had been friendly, Autumn didn't acknowledge it. Instead she trembled, memories filling her head that told her primal instincts to run. He looked a little concerned as he said, "My name is Mr. Kole, Autumn. I just came to ask a few questions."
That was all Autumn needed to hear. Turning on her heel, Autumn raced away as fast as she could, despite Kathryn calling for her. No, no, no. Social Services was the end to everything. The thought made her eyes burn with tears as she sprinted.
"Ooof!"
Autumn didn't see him rounding the corner and they both went flying. Feeling a pop in her shoulder, Autumn whimpered as she heard Mary Margaret's voice.
"Oh my-Autumn I'm so sorry!" Mary Margaret said, reaching over to help her up. Autumn trembled, glancing back the way she came. Mr. Kole or Kathryn was nowhere in sight. The trembling lessened as Mary Margaret rubbed her shoulders soothingly.
"Hey, Hey," Mary Margaret said, "It's okay…"
"Hey kid!" Emma walked across the street, frowning as she saw the sheer panic in her eyes. "Kid, what's wrong?"
"A social worker," Autumn whimpered, "He's at Kathryn's."
Emma's face darkened. Mary Margaret looked from Emma to Autumn as Emma bent down. Grasping Autumn's shoulders, Emma said, "Autumn, listen to me. I want you to go with Mary Margaret back to her apartment. I'll take care of this. I promise."
"Once again making promises you can't keep."
Emma turned to glared at Regina. She walked over to them, smirking as she said, "Autumn, you need to go back to Kathryn dear. We wouldn't want the Social Worker to think something's wrong now do you?"
"Autumn, you don't have to listen to her. She has no rights to be bossing you around to do anything," Emma said coldly.
"Oh I don't?" Regina asked mockingly, "I'm only just the mayor of this town."
"And you are also harassing a young foster child by calling Social Services for no damn reason."
"Who said I did that?"
"I did and I know," Emma snapped, "I don't need any proof to tell me that. Only you would relish trying to cause pain by poking around people's pasts."
"Autumn let's go," Mary Margaret said, pulling Autumn away from the two women.
"Last I checked, neither of you have the rights to be ordering this child around," Regina said, "But then again, you never cared much for rules and other people's rights, did you Emilie Smiths?"
Autumn looked back, her eyes baffled as Emma glowered at Regina. Mary Margaret paused long enough to look at them before ushering Autumn away. Emma stepped closer to Regina, her grey eyes storming darkly. Regina stood her ground as Emma said coldly, "That name is never to be used again."
"Why? After all, it is your real name," Regina mocked.
"If you persist, you will find yourself in a horrible situation that even you can't get out of. I'll be sure to have my lawyer explain everything quite explicitly why that name cannot be used and how dangerous a situation you will be landing Henry in." Emma said, her voice hushed but far from kind, "So do everyone a favor and keep your nose out of things you do not understand."
Emma turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Regina standing alone. Regina glowered ad began to walk back to her office, thinking of another plan to get the child alone. She let Belle loose, she just knew it. Who else would have that kind of power? She highly doubt Gold found out about her, so it had to be her.
Her son's best friend or not, that little brat was going to pay for it.
S.C.
"Emilie Smiths?"
Emma froze as Mary Margaret came out from behind the stairwell. Emma closed her eyes, obviously being painfully reminded of memories long pushed under. Mary Margaret looked nervous but it didn't stop her from asking, "Is that really your real name?"
"Where's Autumn?" Emma said purposefully ignoring the comment.
"She's upstairs," Mary Margaret said softly, "On your bed. She wanted to be left alone."
"I'm going to go talk to her," Emma said, "Kathryn called, she said the social service worker left."
"So now what?" Mary Margaret whispered, "Surely none of this looked very good."
"Well the overall supervisor at the offices called Kathryn, apologizing profusely. He doesn't know who authorized him coming to the house but he will be investigating the matter." Emma climbed the stairs, leaving Mary Margaret alone. She looked over to see Autumn lying on the bed. She looked at Emma, her eyes filled with fear. Emma's looked softened as she said, "He's gone. I promise nothing bad will come of him being here."
"But he'll ruin everything," Autumn hiccupped, "They always do."
"Not this time," Emma said, sitting down on the bed. She reached out, pushing back Autumn's hair as she said, "This time is different."
Autumn looked doubtful as Emma looked deep in thought. She finally leaned over and kissed the top of Autumn's head. Autumn looked momentarily confused as Emma whispered, "I promise they won't take you away. I don't care what law I end up breaking, you are NOT going back there."
Emma looked away, grey eyes meeting blue ones as she said, "We kids from Erkenziers have to stick together, don't we?"
Autumn looked surprised and pained at the name, but nodded softly. Relief entered her eyes as Emma said, "Now, Kathryn is waiting downstairs to take you home. I think she's anxious to talk to you."
Autumn looked a little put out but got up from the bed. Emma followed her down the stairs and to the door. Autumn looked at her hesitantly only for Emma to rub her shoulder reassuringly. Autumn left the apartment and Emma closed the door behind her. Emma sighed heavily, leaning against the door a few moments. Mary Margaret watched her as she stirred the hot cocoa mix. Emma finally spoke up and the next few words surprised her.
"Erkenziers Foster Placement gave me the name Emilie Smiths. Don't ask me why, but I guess they couldn't care less that my blanket had Emma embroidered onto it. They didn't really care about anything except milking us kids for what we were worth. I was shipped around from home to home, eight in total. The last home I had was anything but a home. I ended up escaping when I was sixteen."
"Escaping?" Mary Margaret asked confused, "What do you mean escape-?"
"Don't!" Emma said sharply, "Don't ask."
Mary Margaret was quiet as was Emma. She wasn't even sure that the blonde would speak again. However, Emma's voice continued, sounding tired and shaken.
"The organization that handled Autumn's and my placements was shady. They had a lot of eyes and ears everywhere so I had to go underground into hiding. I met Henry's father shortly after and he jumped ship the minute police got wind of something he did. I took the fall… and made a deal to testify against one of the organization's branches. I couldn't put Henry through the same crap that I went through, so I made sure to give him up to a place that would actually take care of him. I spent some time in jail, but afterwards they altered my file. Gave me a new name and life."
Emma felt a hot tear slip down her cheek as she said, "I never thought I'd ever hear that name again. I hoped I'd never see another situation like mine."
Mary Margaret felt tears well up in her own eyes. Emma shook her head as she said more to herself than to Mary Margaret, "It doesn't matter. I'll make sure she doesn't end up like me."
Emma went to climb the stairs as she said, "I'll be up here. I have phone calls to make."
"I'll be here," Mary Margaret said meaningfully. Emma glanced back at her friend, who smiled up at her. Emma smiled weakly back before disappearing upstairs. Mary Margaret bit her lip, tears spilling down her face. Wiping them away impatiently, Mary Margaret couldn't understand why hearing Emma's story hurt so much.
Autumn stood just inside the entry way to the apartment building. She could see Kathryn waiting outside, looking around nervously. Biting her lip, Autumn walked out sheepishly. Stuffing her hands in her pockets, she watched as Kathryn looked at her exasperated.
"I'm sorry," Kathryn said, "I had no idea Social Services was going to show up."
"No one ever does," Autumn said, softly. Kathryn sighed as they continued to walk onwards. Autumn was quiet, afraid to say much of anything. Kathryn, however, spoke up without hesitation.
"I'm sorry," Kathryn said, "About all this."
Autumn was quiet, afraid to ask the question she really wanted to know. Finally, Autumn asked, "Why did you leave?"
"David and I split," Kathryn said wearily, "I was angry, so angry. I didn't want you to see me like that, not after everything else. I got accepted into law school at Boston so I left. I left a note for you and David, saying that if you wanted to come live in Boston with me, I would gladly come back to get you."
"There was no note."
"I know, David said the same thing," Kathryn said, sincerely, "I'm sorry. Truly I am."
Autumn shifted as she listened. She was the last one to be accusing Kathryn of anything, considering what Gold did. Autumn shook her head, trying to dismiss the thoughts of Gold and asked hesitatively, "Are you going back to Boston?"
"No," Kathryn said, "I made that mistake once. I'm not doing that again."
Autumn sighed in relief, and Kathryn held out her arm hopefully. Autumn couldn't help but smile and playfully bump her side. Kathryn laughed softly, wrapping her arm around her shoulders. Autumn looked around as Kathryn asked, "So I heard you and Mr. Gold had a bit of an argument."
"He didn't like the fact I wouldn't tell him something," Autumn said, stiffly, "He got mad and now we're not talking."
"And what secret are you keeping from him?" Kathryn asked.
Autumn was silent as she said, dejectedly, "One that will hurt him."
"Is it something you did?"
Autumn shook her head, but she looked thoroughly miserable. Kathryn rubbed her shoulder as she said, "I'm sure whatever it is, then, he wouldn't take it out on you. He cares about you."
Autumn shrugged, but said nothing more on the matter. The two turned into the walkway up to the house. Kathryn pulled out her keys saying, "Sometimes as hard as it is, we need to trust in the people we care about to sort through their own feelings. We can't deprive people of feeling what they feel."
Kathryn paused, holding the key in hand as she said, sadly, "You have every right to feel angry at me, Autumn. I should have made sure I stayed behind to make sure any adoption went through without issue."
Autumn shook her head, saying very softly, "I'm not angry. Really I'm not."
Autumn surprised Kathryn with a hug, tightly squeezing her arms around her waist. Kathryn felt tears prickle her eyes as she hugged her back. Stroking her hair, Kathryn whispered, "I'm glad."
S.C.
"Madame Mayor?"
Regina looked up from her desk to see a man standing in the door way. His hair hung about his face and he was dressed in a suit. His top three shirt buttons were unbuttoned and he wore a social services tag. Lovely.
"Can I help you?" Regina asked, her business tone intact. His face was emotionless as he said, "I believe you can. You see, I had an incident with one of my social workers taking a random trip to a child's house. A case that was assigned and taken care of by another social worker. I couldn't figure out why he would do such a thing until I investigated deeper to find that he had been paid a large sum by the mayor's office."
"I don't know-!"
"I'm sure you don't," he said, "After all, your office manages the payment of all government employee's. It could have easily been a fluke."
The man walked closer to her desk. His dark eyes glared at her as he said, "Just as I'm sure it won't happen again."
"I'll talk to accounting," Regina said, "As well as investigate any wrong doings that might have been done."
"Oh I'm sure you will," he said coldly, "As I'm sure you won't cross me, or the little anklebiter, again."
Regina frowned as the man rounded the desk. Staring at him while gripping the arms of her chair, she asked, "What are you sugg-?"
Regina gasped as she felt magic circle her, causing her to choke. The man smirked coldly as he said, "I'm suggesting, you leave us Mages alone. After all, you've already crossed us by taking things a value as leverage. You wouldn't want to give us another reason to off you, now would you?"
Regina's look darkened as she was forced back in her seat. The man walked away as he said, "The name is Ryaden, Mage of the Isle, Head Supervisor here of the so called social workers. Make no mistake, this curse won't last long and you'll only be able to hold your leverage for so long before everyone turns on you."
"I can hold onto my leverage as long as I want," Regina growled, "Do you really think that I don't have people in my corner as well?"
"Oh, I'm counting on it," Ryaden said, "That's the only reason you're still living. But knowledge of your allies or not, you try and force Autumn back to Boston one more time and I will not be so kind as I am being right now."
He glared at her with a murderous stare as he said, "That's a promise."
S.C.
Autumn heard knocking at the window.
She was sitting on her bed, reading the book. She had been on a page with a picture of Rumpelstiltskin, staring at it with a frown. The knocking on the window was light but firm enough to be deliberate. Sure enough, she saw Jane peering in. Scampering over to the window, Autumn unlocked it and opened it to let her in. Jane maneuvered through the window and sat on the bed saying, "Thank God for big windows. You have no idea how hard it is to slip into a bedroom when the window is the size of a pizza box."
"Hi Jane," Autumn said with a weak smile.
"Hey kiddo," Jane said, kissing Autumn's forehead, "I heard you had a hard day."
"Something like that," Autumn mumbled. Autumn looked down at her book, her face downcast. Jane looked pained as she saw the picture of Rumpelstiltskin. Jane shook her head a little bit as she said, "I'm sorry. It was an awful thing we asked you to do."
"It was necessary," Autumn mumbled.
"It was wrong," Jane said, sternly, "It was wrong to you, it was wrong to him, it was just wrong!"
"So why did you say yes?"
"I didn't," Jane said, bitterly, "I was outvoted."
Autumn felt Jane cup her cheek as she tilted her face up to look at her. Jane's eyes were sad as she said, "I know what he means to you."
Autumn watched Jane a moment before allowing her to hug her tight. She had been getting soft… it wasn't safe to do that considering the circumstances. But she was tired… she was tired of always fighting and hiding and acting like an adult that she wasn't. In this moment, she just wanted to forget.
"I missed your hugs," Jane said, stroking her hair, "You always give the best hugs."
Jane and Autumn separated as Jane then said, "I brought a surprise for you."
Jane flourished her hands and a rectangular wrapped package fell in Autumn's lap. Autumn unwrapped it to find several thick leather bound notebooks. Autumn's face lit up a bit as Jane said, "I heard through the grapevine that you need new notebooks. After all, how else is my little musician going to make me new music to play?"
Autumn grinned but Jane looked at her with a contemplative expression. It was almost sad how she was staring at her. Autumn felt a moment of uneasiness as she asked, "What's wrong?"
"We… we have a lot to talk about," Jane said, hesitantly, "I-!"
"Autumn?! Mr. Gold is here to see you!"
Autumn looked stricken and frightened a moment as Jane swooped in and kissed her saying, "I guess it will have to wait, kiddo."
"Wait-Jane!" Autumn protested only for Jane to disappear out the window faster than a rabbit. Autumn watched the window close behind her as Autumn heard Gold come up the stairs. She knew it was him, it sounded like him. Why was he even here? Autumn did the only thing she could think of. Pushing the notebooks and the book under her bed, Autumn ran to turn off the overhead light. Scampering under the covers, Autumn kept her breathing quiet in hopes that he might think her asleep.
She heard him come in and heard him shut the door. She heard his cane click the floor and felt as he sat down on the bed. She heard him sigh and she tried to stay as quiet as she could.
"Once upon a time, there was an old man. This old man was the most powerful man in town and quite possible the loneliest. Everyone feared him and tried to stay as far away as they possibly could. One day, he came across this little girl sitting in an inn he was collecting rent from. She had blue eyes that were more vibrant than the sky and cheeks that were rosier than the pinkest of flowers. He couldn't help but wonder about this little girl who looked at him without the slightest trace of fear. But, the old man being who he was, he collected rent and went on his way. He bumped into this little girl a couple of more times, expecting this child to avoid him as everyone else had, only to find she seemed only interested into talking to him. Finally after a few years of this, the girl pranced into his shop with a basketful of apples. The man, who had been mourning the anniversary of losing his son, had no interest in them. But the little girl paid no heed to his grouchiness and told him that he needed to keep the apples since she refused to leave with them."
Autumn's stomach swooped. That had been the anniversary of losing his son? She never knew that. She couldn't help but listen on as Gold said, "He was shocked, shocked that she had left him such a gift even though he had been quite rude. So he thought up a way to insure that she would come back. He made a deal with the little girl that every month her apples were in season she would bring him a basket and he would pay her for them. Since then, the little girl and the old man grew close. Closer to anyone he had had in years. They had goods times together and were there for one another when they went through the bad times. It wasn't until he had found out she had been keeping a very big secret that they had their worst moment ever. She had been hiding his lost love, someone he had thought had died in the cruelest way possible. He grew angry, angry not only that he had been so stupid to believe an evil queen but also because this little girl was keeping secrets from him. It hurt him, it hurt him in ways he didn't want to admit. So, being the biggest hypocrite he was, he did what he always did and ruined everything by saying awful things that he didn't truly mean. She had left, left him in that shop to kick himself for being such a fool."
Autumn squeaked a little bit as Gold laid next to her. She found herself pinned under the covers in his hug. She felt his own head lay on top of hers as he said, "I am sorry. I am so sorry."
Autumn bit her lip before saying in attempts to being joking, "Fool is one word. Jerk is another."
Gold snorted and suddenly, she yelped as the blankets were yanked away from her. She screeched in laughter as he tickled her sides and pinned her to the bed so she couldn't escape. It wasn't until she had stopped fighting him that he kissed the top of her head and whispered, "Definitely a true statement."
"So why tickle me," Autumn playful pushed him away while staring up at him as he said honestly, "I can't bear you mad at me. I can't."
Stroking her hair, Gold's look turned to bitter determination, the tense atmosphere returning. He sat up, leaning on his one arm before saying, "But I meant what I said before, I am tired of all these secrets. I don't understand why you insist on me pushing you but then refuse to say anything."
"Because I'm scared," Autumn spoke and her voice sounded small, "It scares me to say anything because I want to be loved for me and me alone."
It sounded so innocent that it almost brought tears to his own eyes. This surprised Autumn, as she had never really seen him cry before. Reaching up to touch his face, Gold took her hand in both of his and kissed her fingers gently. It was the only thing he could think of to sooth her. His brown eyes met her blue ones, each searching for answers. Autumn finally spoke, her voice gradually getting stronger, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry for a lot of things, but I wish I could take this last week back more than anything."
"Time doesn't work like that," Gold said, "As much as we would like it too."
Autumn swallowed and Gold said his voice now gentle but strong at the same time, "My home, it will always be open to you whenever you are ready. I will always be here to listen to your secrets, your history. I think you need some more time to heal, even if you think there is nothing to heal. I have thrown away so much, ruined so many good things, I will not throw this away no matter how many tantrums I may have."
Autumn couldn't help but chuckle at his words and Gold seemed to be relieved. He sat up and said, "Now I think it's best that I let you get ready for bed. I'm sure now that Kathryn is fully better, the two of you will want to spend time with each other."
Autumn allowed him to tuck her in. He pulled the covers up and leaned over to kiss her goodnight. She settled down on the pillow when Gold asked a question that made her heart stop.
"Is that your father?"
Autumn looked over at him and saw Gold staring at the picture. She found herself unable to speak as Gold picked up the picture and stared at it quietly. Autumn finally nodded as she said softly, "Yes…"
"You have his smile," Gold said simply, putting the photo back where he had found it. Autumn stared at him, her anxiety lessening a bit. He hadn't recognized him. Perhaps he didn't want to think that his only son was dead. Her gut twisted as he kissed her forehead once more. Gold stood up and began to walk away. Autumn bit her lip, feeling guilty as he walked away. She hadn't told him the secret, she wasn't sure she ever could. But she owed him something. Something precious.
"Alison."
"What?" Gold looked back at her, his brown eyes staring intently at her.
"My real name," Autumn said, watching him nervously, "It's Alison. Alison Marie Kinsleigh."
Gold stared at her thoughtfully. He smiled softly at her and said quietly, "Goodnight Alison."
He shut the door behind him and Autumn watched after him in wonder. Sighing, she rolled over to look at the picture of her and her father. Snuggling into the pillow, Autumn murmured, "Goodnight, Papa."
S.C.
"Using astral drops again?"
Jane opened her eyes, standing out the window. Her bedroom wasn't over elaborate. A large chaise was seated in front of the fire. Her table was littered with papers and tools. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Ryaden walking in. Jane frowned as she said, "Well, if I was actually able to leave, I wouldn't have to."
"You know we can't do anything about that," Ryaden said, edgily, "The Master is the one that confined you here. Only he can let you go."
"Why are you here, Ryaden?" Jane said coldly, "To warn me not to see her?"
Ryaden sighed irritated as he said, "You know I wouldn't tell you that."
Jane sighed softly before saying, "Sorry…"
"Don't be," Ryaden said, pulling out a cigar, "I have a mission for you."
"You or Master?"
"Me. Unofficially," Ryaden said, putting the cigar in his mouth, "I've encountered some problems that needs a woman's touch likes yours."
Jane raised her brows as she asked, coolly, "And what do I get in return for this 'unofficial' mission?"
Ryaden pulled the cigar away from his mouth long enough to let out a breath. Smirking slightly, Ryaden said, "A chance for freedom."
S.C.
"What should we do my Lord?"
The Nutcracker slammed down his fist, tears slipping down his face. The Piper looked miserable as the council head looked nervous. The room was filled with candle light as Clara laid sleeping on the bed. She looked anything but peaceful and her face was sickly pale. Nutcracker spoke and said, "I do not know, we have tried every cure but all as gone to waste. This poison of Morgana's is strange. She is still sick and will not last!"
The council head opened his mouth to speak when there was a knock at the door. Nutcracker didn't even bother to answer as the Piper called out defeated, "Who is there?"
There was no answer but the door opened to cast in light. The Piper and Council Head watched as a girl and a man come in. She was dressed in midnight blue traveling clothes and her hair bound in a braid. The man looked rather queer as well, wearing a tall hat that had numerous objects upon it. The little girl smiled warmly and said, "I have the cure that you true love needs, your majesty."
The Nutcracker whirled around as the girl held out the bottle. She smiled warmly as the man beside her looked on protectively. Piper reached out to take it as the Nutcracker said, "Who are you?"
"I am an ally, at least for the moment," She bowed low as she did not have a skirt to curtsy with. The Nutcracker narrowed his eyes as he snatched the bottle saying, "How sure are you that it will work? If this is more poison, I will have your head."
"Agreed," the girl said cheerfully, obviously not bothered that he had threatened her. The man beside her said, "My lady."
"Hush," dismissed the girl and said, "Please give it to her quickly, she won't have much time left."
Nutcracker finally caved, going over to Clara's bedside. He carefully administered the cure and waited. At first nothing happened, but then Clara coughed. Every time she coughed, color returned to her face and soon she was staring at the Nutcracker wide eyed. The Council Head exclaimed as Piper looked relieved, "The Queen is well!"
The girl turned to leave, obviously pleased. Piper noticed and said, "Wait! My sweet young lady, you did not state your name."
The girl turned and said before closing the door, "Oh how rude of me. My name is Alice and I am the Mage of Wonderland."
